Social Media

Zynga Launches the Ultimate Time Waster: Live Poker for the iPhone

Luckily, I don't play poker. It's one in the long list of addictions I've been lucky not to get infected with over the years. But if I did, I'd be all over Zynga's new game for the iPhone: Live Poker.

Zynga creates games for Facebook, MySpace and other social networks. They usually don't waste time reinventing the wheel; they go with good old ever-popular games like Texas Hold’Em, BlackJack, Scramble and Sudoku. They also have a number of action/fantasy titles such as Special Forces, Mafia Wars, Vampires and so forth. All of these translate into 4.5 billion page views, which makes Zynga the largest social gaming network around.

Their latest offering, Live Poker, allows iPhone users to play poker with their friends from social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Hi5. It's the first iPhone game that leverages Facebook's Connect platform; for the end user, it means that not only can you waste your entire workday playing poker, you can also do so on your iPhone on the way home. Goodbye, free will; hello addiction.

You can get the application in the iTunes App store; the basic version is free, while an advanced version, with a larger chip package and access to tournaments, will cost you $9.99.

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